DETROIT -- A federal judge has approved a $2.8 million settlement between the Douglas J Aveda Institute and plaintiffs who accused the school of forcing students to do unpaid labor while enrolled. According to the Associated Press, an estimated 1,500 people will receive compensation as part of the settlement which stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in 2014.

The lawsuit claimed that students who were attending the institute had to perform labor activities such as cleaning floors, washing, drying and folding laundry, and stocking shelves for no pay. The Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice -- which filed the lawsuit -- claimed the duties were not directly connected to the cosmetology education students were receiving and the students should have been compensated for their work.

“What this case says is there are limits to what you can ask of your students,” said John Philo a lawyer with the law center. … see full story at MLive